Drop-off zone plan for Manor Community Primary School in Keary Road, Swanscombe ditched

A growing school set to expand further will see more cars on the road after KCC revealed it plans to ditch a drop-off zone.

Manor Community Primary School in Keary Road, Swanscombe, is set to go from 420 pupils to 630.

In a bid to cope with – by KCC’s own admission – dangerous conditions, a pick-up and drop-off point was expected to be created as part of the expansion plans.

Concerned dad Jim Richards snapped people parking their cars outside Manor Road Community Primary School and put them on Facebook.

But a lack of staff at the school means the idea is to be dropped.

“Key stakeholders at the school have expressed their concern over the construction and implementation of the proposed pick -up, drop-off spaces,” a letter to Dartford council’s planning department from developer Kier Estates states, which is carrying out the work for KCC.

“The school has expressed that it would not be able to allocate the necessary staffing to ensure that it operates safely and its construction would present a hazard to pupils and staff.

“It is considered that the removal of the proposed parking could put additional pressure on parking demand on local streets, however, the safety implications of allowing parent vehicles within the site would outweigh parking amenity disbenefits created by its removal.”

Concerned dad Jim Richards snapped people parking their cars outside Manor Road Community Primary School and put them on Facebook.

Manor was at the centre of a school-run row earlier this month when former bouncer, father-of-two Jim Richards, posted pictures of drivers parking on the zig-zags. He raised concerns about the dangers and put pictures on Facebook to shame drivers.

With the expansion going ahead, KCC expects around 50 extra cars to be dropping children off and picking them up between 8am and 9am and 3pm and 4pm.

The three classrooms, hall and changing rooms were granted permission by KCC in June. This is said to equate to one extra vehicle a minute but council data suggests only 23 of these vehicles will be dropping children off and only 15 will require parking.

Jim Richards

A new online travel plan will be piloted at the school which will ultimately be used by schools across the county in a bid to identify how children get to school and try to encourage greener ways of travel.

Despite the problems, there has been only one accident recorded on the road in the last three years – a cyclist on the pavement who was clipped by someone opening a car door.